Liu Yifei to star in Disney’s live-action Mulan

After an extensive casting process that apparently involved thousands of auditions across five continents, Chinese actress Crystal Liu Yifei has been cast as the titular character in Disney’s live-action remake of Mulan. Many here will be familiar with Liu from her numerous roles in Chinese martial-arts/fantasy TV series like Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils and The Return of the Condor Heroes; and in films like The Four and Once Upon A Time. International audiences may remember Liu in her first Hollywood production as the Golden Sparrow in 2008’s The Forbidden Kingdom, starring Jackie Chan and Jet Li.

Mulan’s live-action premise is likely to be similar to its Oscar-nominated 1998 animation adapted from a Chinese legend about a young woman, Hua Mulan, who secretly took her father’s place in the army in fifth-century China. The film will be directed by Niki Caro (The Zookeeper’s Wife) and is currently slated for a 2019 release date.

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